Someone in Control

AMG Review of Someone in Control

Johnny Loftus
All Music Guide

Trapt's self-titled 2002 debut went platinum and more on the strength of modern ock radio faves "Headstrong" and "Still Frame." The attraction was obvious -- the quartet's sound was a pristine blueprint of 21st century southern California proto-metal, the onslaught led by Incubus, Linkin Park, and Hoobastank, bringing the same blend of massaged post-grunge verses and knots of affected screaming and band saw guitar. Even their name, Trapt -- it read like market research, a monosyllabic summation of adolescent discontent, extreme sports, and jabs to the solar plexus. It's more of all of that on 2005's Someone in Control. But while Trapt still work inside their established formula, they also constrict it, so songs like "Disconnected (Out of Touch)," "Waiting," and "Influence" rip with more internal tension. "Lost Realist" is also strong. It's a little predictable, especially when the strings come in. But its meshing of Goo Goo Dolls plaintiveness with post-grunge crackle is a nice progression for the quartet.